Less Travelled

Selected via open submission for the Artist Links Residency Scheme, Boggon undertook two research visits to China during 2005 and 2006 and gave a series of lectures at Shanghai University; British Council, London and Shanghai; Wimbledon College of Art, and Newcastle University. An exhibition entitled ‘Less Travelled’ was held at the Island 6 Arts Centre, Shanghai, China.

Through the residency, Boggon became particularly interested in the ideas surrounding manufacture, past and present, and the contrast between the craft, workmanship and permanence of objects seen in museums; the disposable contemporary mass-produced items seen in export markets; and what each reflected about society and culture. The origin of the word ‘manufacture’ derives from the Latin for hand-made (manu - by hand, facto - made), yet paradoxically, in contemporary society we associate manufacture with mass production.

The body of new works created were exhibited at the Island 6 Arts Centre, Shanghai during the ‘Shanghai Biennale’ in September/October 2006. Through collaboration with a range of people including a Chinese translator, the DJ/musician B6 to produce a video and the Glass Department at Shanghai University, Boggon developed new skills that enabled her to incorporate elements of cast glass and resin into her work.

‘Less Travelled’ included the work of two Chinese artists, Lu Chun Sheng and Yue Luping, and the British artist David Cotterell. Curated by Simon Kirby, manager of Artist Links in Shanghai, this exhibition led to Boggon being invited to exhibit her work in the group exhibition ‘Material World’, at the 1918 Arts Space, Shanghai in October 2006 and by curators from OffiCina in Beijing to exhibit alongside high profile Chinese artists and several international artists in the exhibition ‘Map Games’, touring China, Italy and the UK in 2008.